Chapter 10. Your Loyalty Is Unknown to Anyone.
Ian turned his head.
He saw Votigern standing outside the tent, the moonlight casting down on him like a silken cloth, making him appear even more purely white.
Those eyes, which had once shared years with King Uther, were now overflowing with complex emotions.
Ian knew that Votigern before him had understood that he had come tonight to assassinate him.
"When did you realize?"
Ian asked coldly.
Now that his cover was blown, he no longer needed to remain silent as before.
"Hmm... if you want to talk about that."
Votigern stepped into the tent alone—he was not afraid of Ian, the one who had come to assassinate him.
"Maybe since you said you wanted to kill the enemy but did not swear loyalty to me."
At that moment, Ian realized that his concealment had completely failed to fool Votigern.
He had seen through everything.
"Votigern, you're not worthy for me to do that. I am only loyal to..."
Ian had not finished his sentence when Votigern spoke first:
"Uther's daughter, the one named Morgan, right?"
"Your repeated failures were only to win her favor. You didn't even let her know all of this. You silently bore all the blame yourself."
"Ian, do you really think this is worth it?"
Votigern's words had no trace of reproach, but rather felt like an elder sage advising a younger person.
Ian knew he was trying to sway his thoughts, so he immediately replied:
"Yes!"
"A knight bearing ill repute for the one he swore loyalty to, there's nothing wrong with that!"
"But what if the one you swear loyalty to chooses to sacrifice you for personal gain?" Votigern looked directly at Ian. "Do you still think there's no problem with that?"
"Personal gain?"
"Yes." Votigern sighed, "A princess who personally takes the battlefield, never commands, but wins continuously."
"Just looking at the bigger picture, there are many issues—all of this is just to show off her clumsy skills in front of her father."
"I should thank this foolish act for leading the Britannia army to destruction, but I never expected that my brother's mind would remain sharp despite the passage of time, seeing through everything."
"Such a pity."
[Votigern calm recounting made you fully understand why Morgan had not appeared on the battlefield recently.]
[You are pleased with King Uther's wisdom, not being swayed by his daughter's tricks.]
[But your loyalty still lies with Morgan.]
"No, Your Majesty removed the princess for another reason!" Ian retorted, "It absolutely isn't as you say!"
"Then what possible reason could my brother have to remove such a general, one who achieved such success, from the front lines?" Votigern didn't hold back, pointing out the issue.
"Was he really worried about his daughter's safety?"
"If that were the case, he never should have let her go to the battlefield in the first place."
"..."
Ian fell silent.
In truth, everything Votigern said, he had already sensed before.
But—
This was Morgan.
The one to whom he had sworn loyalty.
No matter what she did, he had to accept it!
[You drew the sword that Morgan had given you and charged toward Votigern.]
[As a former knight of Britannia, now a servant of the White Dragon, your attack was both powerful and swift.]
[Talent "Battle Continuation++" was replaced with "Determination++": You began your assassination attempt on Votigern, and you had a sense that you would die here, but before that happened, all your focus was entirely on assassinating Votigern.]
[But just like when you first met Votigern, as a king, he possessed intuition far beyond imagination, making your attacks difficult to land.]
[You broke out of the tent and into the center of the camp, attracting a large crowd of soldiers.]
[Talent "Agent++" was activated.]
[Dark clouds covered the moon in the sky. Except for Votigern, everyone else mistook you for Morgan because of the sword in your hand, and no one doubted it.]
[Votigern had strength far beyond yours, evading your attacks while continuously counterattacking. The wounds on your body grew more numerous.]
[Talent "Fighting for life" was activated.]
[The pain from your wounds made you more alert, and you realized just how dangerous Votigern, this vile king, truly was. He could be a major obstacle to Morgan in the future.]
[Thus, even if you were to die here today, you were determined to do something for her before you left.]
[Your body began to unleash extraordinary strength beyond normal, causing the soldiers who wanted to rush to help to hesitate.]
[Votigern only saw your intense will to survive as you neared death, never having seen you so determined to accept death as you were at this moment.]
[Taking advantage of this moment, you finally left a wound on his face.]
[But that was all. Votigern quickly reacted and knocked you to the ground.]
"Stop."
Votigern commanded all the soldiers who were about to approach.
"Fall back."
No one dared defy the order of the White Dragon King.
In the dim light, Votigern knelt down and looked at Ian, lying in a pool of blood, letting out a sigh.
"Young man, no, I should call you Ian."
"Do you know? Even if you had stepped into the trap without a sword once, you would have realized it was the trap I set for you—I've never rested there."
"But I didn't wait for you like this, and you didn't recognize it was my trap."
"Do you know? I think, if there were a chance, we should have been better kings and guardians."
Pfft—
Ian spat a mouthful of blood onto Votigern's face.
"That is absolutely impossible! I only swear loyalty to the princess!"
"Kill me, Votigern!"
"..."
Votigern was not angry with Ian's irrational act.
On the contrary, he grew increasingly regretful.
Votigern wiped the blood from the scar on his face.
"Ian, your loyalty makes me sigh, but your stubbornness makes me feel foolish."
"I will not kill you."
"Because your actions will bring you consequences far more painful than death."
"Retreat!" Votigern raised his hand. "We will create a new battlefield and overthrow Britannia!"
"Oooh, ooh, ooh!"
[Votigern did not deliver the final fatal blow.]
[He left with his soldiers.]
[You silently ponder his words in the pool of blood, but you cannot agree with them.]
[To you, Morgan is your entire soul.]
[Your consciousness begins to fade, and Morgan's figure reappears before your eyes.]
[You close your eyes, ready to leave this world with the image still before you.]
[And at this moment, you hear a familiar sound.]
[It is the trumpet of Britannia—they have arrived.]